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Robert Greenwald

Robert Greenwald (born August 28, 1943) is the founder of Brave New Films, a nonprofit film studio whose work is distributed for free in concert with nonprofit partners and movements in order to educate and mobilize for progressive causes. The work of Brave New Films has been screened over seven continents and viewed over tens of millions of times and counting. His most recent full-length feature documentary,[1] illustrates the connection between gun industry profits and gun deaths in America. The studio is currently working with a coalition in California opposed to the money bail system with films like Debunking Bail Myths. Brave New Films is also continuing its history of political advocacy by presenting short documentaries on current events from a progressive perspective, e.g. a piece on Donald Trump's cabinet picks.

Other recent, issued based short-films since 2015 include: Racism is Real[3] which shows the stark differences between life in America as a black man and as a white man; a series on how vulture hedge funds contributed to the financial crisis that has devastated health care and education in Puerto Rico[4] a look at how the private probation system preys on low-income people in "To Prison for Poverty"[5] and an animated short on the Treatment Industrial Complex [6] - the private prison industry's move to capitalize on the drive to end mass incarceration.

Greenwald moved to Los Angeles in 1972, where he continued working as a theater director at the Mark Taper Forum.[19] He later launched a career as a director for television, establishing first Moonlight Productions[19] and then Robert Greenwald Productions (RGP), and began creating theatrical films, television movies, miniseries and documentaries with a distinct social and political sensibility. Moonlight Productions was responsible for 34 films, and RGP has brought more than 45 films to audiences worldwide. In 1977, Greenwald received his first of three Emmy Award nominations for producing the television movie 21 Hours at Munich[20] about the massacre at the 1972 Olympics. His next Emmy nomination came in 1984 for directing The Burning Bed,[21] one of the most-watched television movies of all time.[22] Based on a true story, The Burning Bed has been credited as "a turning point in the fight against domestic violence."[23] Greenwald also directed theatrical films such as Breaking Up (1997), Steal This Movie! (2000) and Xanadu (1980).[24]

Xanadu received mostly negative reviews. The film barely broke even at the box office in its initial release.[25] A double feature of Xanadu and another musical released at about the same time, Can't Stop the Music, inspired John J. B. Wilson to create the Golden Raspberry Awards (or "Razzies"), an annual event "dishonoring" what is considered the worst in cinema for a given year.[26]Xanadu won the first Razzie for Worst Director and was nominated for six other awards.

Typically Greenwald's approach has been to adapt the principles of guerrilla filmmaking to political documentaries, using small budgets and short shooting schedules to produce films[31] and then distributing them on DVDs or the Internet in affiliation with politically sympathetic groups such as MoveOn.org.[31] BNF's methods are "rewriting the book on how movies are made and distributed."[32] Greenwald's innovative model is said to be "working magnificently":[33] "Millions of viewers have seen BNF films via grassroots 'house parties' and independent online DVD sales",[34] as well as in more traditional theater screenings and online.

As a pioneer in alternative methods for effective progressive political campaigns,[35][36][37][38][39] Greenwald has eschewed traditional distribution models of studio and network releases.[36][37] He was among the first to post political online shorts and viral videos on YouTube and elsewhere on the internet, as well as releasing full-length documentaries online in a series of “real time” chapters.[37][38][40] Greenwald’s group takes full advantage of a variety of media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, and harnesses new distribution channels as soon as they emerge.[39][41]

This approach has "inspired hundreds of thousands of people to take action and forced pressing issues into the mainstream media."[42] He has been called "one of the most prominent and influential voices in new media."[43] According to a Brave New Films website, as of 2013[update] its documentaries "have been streamed across all 7 continents and have been viewed over 70 million times."[44]

The Los Angeles Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild Honors Robert Greenwald as "A Producer and Director who uses his talent and artistry to promote better understanding between people and advance the cause of peace, justice and freedom." - June 8, 2003;[12]